Who Is Your Mummy and Where Did She Go?

Reflections from the APP team

From 31st January to 1st February 2025, some of the APP team attended Who Is Your Mummy and Where Did She Go? at Waterside Arts, Manchester - a powerful theatre production by Company Four that we’re proud to support.

The play, inspired by Company Four founder Gemma Whiteley’s family history research, is shaped by the voices of APP families. It explores postpartum psychosis through historical narratives, reflecting on past and present care. 

Peer supporters from our National team, as well as our Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS projects, were at performances to share information and offer support.

This production uses storytelling, puppetry, and poetry to highlight the urgent need for awareness and compassion.

Hannah Bissett, National Coordinator (NHS Contracts), said: “Seeing these stories brought to life on stage was incredibly moving, shedding light on the realities of postpartum psychosis with honesty, sensitivity, and impact.  We have loved being part of this project from the workshops we were invited to in 2022 culminating in these wonderful performances.”

Alongside the performance, a free exhibition ran until 22nd February, featuring poetry and artwork shared by APP’s lived experience community. These personal pieces offer moving insights into the realities of postpartum psychosis through a variety of mediums including pottery, poetry and post-it notes. Also featured are portrait photos of women who have experienced PP and those who work with families in the Manchester area including a member of APP’s Manchester peer support team, Rachel McVeigh, alongside the Ward Manager of Andersen Mother and Baby Unit in Wythenshawe, Elizabeth Philipson.

Jenny, National Peer Support Coordinator (Online Services), said:

Company Four have done an amazing job of bringing together lived experiences of postpartum psychosis from the past and present through a range of media. The result is an informative, moving and hopeful piece that we are proud to have contributed our voices to.

A huge thank you to Company Four for creating such an impactful production and to everyone who contributed their experiences and creativity. We’re excited to see how this project continues to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis.

You can read Gemma’s story here.